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Pacifc Gales
(Industry news)
Seaside
VIEWS
Plans are under way for Pacifc
Gales, an 18-hole golf course with
breathtaking seaside views on
the southern Oregon coast. Course
construction is expected to begin this
summer. The land is located on a portion of
the privately owned Knapp Ranch in Curry
County. The ninth and 18th holes will share
a cliffside green. A huge, natural sand dune
runs the length of the property, with an
abundance of rocky cliffs. One of the best
views is of the famed Cape Blanco lighthouse
on the westernmost point of Oregon. The
course is being designed by Dave Esler, who
created the layout at Black Sheep Golf Club,
ranked by Golfweek as one of America's
best 100 courses. "We feel obligated to do
something extraordinary because the site
deserves it," Esler says. "On the frst green at
Pacifc Gales, you'll be staring at the edge of
two worlds, looking into infnity. It's drop-dead
spectacular."
166
GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 01.14
Irrigation manufacturer Netafm is supporting troops
in Afghanistan as part of the company's Team Netafm
initiative by sending "morale packs." Not too long ago,
though, Netafm customer service representative Michael
Giese was surprised when he received a package
from Afghanistan. Giese, who has led a company-wide
campaign for the troops at Forward Operating Base Wright
in Afghanistan from his offce in Fresno, Calif., received
a U.S. fag that had fown above the U.S. military base in
Asadabad, Afghanistan. "I've been told by friends in the
military that this is the ultimate show of honor and
respect," Giese says of the red, white and
blue fag. "We'll be displaying
the fag with the dignity
they deserve." Giese and
his fellow employees, along with local sponsors, compiled
more than 350 pounds of popular snacks, health care
supplies, books, magazines, sporting goods and notebooks
and sent them to the troops. Eighty handwritten letters for
the troops from students at Fresno's Easterby Elementary
School accompanied the care package.